When Maya Angelou died, 1,000 people found comfort in Art Smith’s fried chicken after her memorial service. He’s whipped up batches for everyone from politicians and peacemakers to celebrities the world over, including his former employer, Ms. Oprah Winfrey. And last Sunday night, he made the same fabulous fried fowl in my kitchen, as part of his visit for the Southern Chefs Series.

He brined the birds for a few hours, double dipped them in the breading and fried them up in a mixture of oil and lard. I just happened to have a few cups of lard in my refrigerator and added a little to the oil. He saw me and shook his head, took the jar from my hand and scooped out every last bit of that lard into the oil.

That’s my kind of chef.

The chicken was unbelievable. I devoured two pieces while listening to Art give all the credit to the lard. It was like an old-school tent revival for rendered pork fat.

This was Art’s first visit and I loved everything about him. Despite all his celebrity connections and personal accomplishments—cookbooks, TV appearances and many restaurants, including Homecoming, a new spot opening in Orlando’s Disney Springs this summer—Art is pure sincerity. To him, food is love and he wants to give out as much as he can. And let me tell you, the participants and I were very well loved. Even Steve said, “Damn, that was some good food.”

He did shrimp and grits, goat cheese drop biscuits, a Brussels sprouts salad and chicken and dumplings soup with fresh dumplings he rolled out with an actual rolling pin.

 To use Art’s words: Lord Jesus. It was slap-your-mama good. I don’t redo a lot of the recipes I see at these demonstrations, but I’m making that one again. Soon.

Addie Mae Chicken and Dumpling Soup

• Ingredients

• One 3- to 3 ½-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces
• 2 celery ribs, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, medium dice
• 2 quarts water
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

•  Dumplings

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• Pinch of salt
•  ½ cup plus 1 Tbsp. water
• 1 Tbsp. canola oil
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Directions

Place the chicken, onion, celery and carrots in a 5-quart Dutch oven or covered casserole dish, and add the water, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat, skimming off any foam that rises to the surface. Reduce, occasionally skimming the broth, until the chicken is tender, about 50 minutes.

Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a platter (keep the broth and vegetables simmering) and cool it until it’s easy to handle. Discard the skin and bones and cut the meat into bite-size pieces.

Meanwhile, increase the heat under the broth to high and cook until the liquid is reduced to 6 cups. (If you’re in a hurry, strain the broth, reserving the vegetables, and measure 6 cups of broth, reserving the remaining broth for another use. Return the 6 cups of broth and vegetables to the pot.) Skim off any fat from the surface of the broth. Stir the chicken back into the pot. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To make the dumplings, place the flour, salt and oil in a medium bowl and gradually stir in the water to make stiff dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly. Roll out ¼ inch thick. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough into 1-inch-wide strips. Slide the strips into the simmering soup, placing them next to each other without stacking or crowding. Cover tightly and reduce the heat to low. Simmer until the dumplings are cooked through and tender, about 10 minutes.